February 2004
Volume 28 • No. 2

 

HIPAA Tip: Communication with friends and family

(The following scenario was prepared by SHC to help caregivers improve service within the guidelines of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 [HIPAA]. It was originally published in e-news, the electronic employee newsletter of Stanford Hospital and Clinics)

Imagine this scenario: You are admitting a male patient to your floor. The patient is accompanied by his wife. The wife takes you aside and tells you that her husband wants her to receive reports regarding his condition and care, and that providers can speak to her as if they were speaking to her husband. What do you do?

First, confirm with the husband that he wishes his wife to receive information regarding his condition and care. If he confirms, note the agreement in his chart so all providers will be aware of the request. Also, make sure you pass the information along to the next provider when you report off to avoid misunderstanding.

If the patient is not able to communicate, the clinician must use his or her professional judgment to determine what information should be shared, and with whom. Information may be shared based on the established relationship of the requestor to the patient and based on the requestor's need to know for the patient's benefit.

For more information about communicating with friends and family, please refer to the document entitled "HIPAA Policy: Communication with Family, Friends, and Others Involved with Patient's Care."

'Real World' benefits can flow from 'real time' licensure visit in Apri

TECH Desk
demystifies for medical staff

4Cs of Communication are the Corner Stones of patient safety

Eight unaccepable abbreviations/chart.pdf

Bryan Bohman sees medical board service more like medicine than anesthesia

Advanced Med Center / Cancer Center Quick List

HIPAA Tip

Profiles added to physician credentialing

Physician photos makeup slated

Quality Corner:
New UPDATE feature

This document and other HIPAA information may be found at: http://intranet-medcenter.edu/shc/hipaa/policiesProcedures.html

http://intranet-medcenter.stanford.edu.